The Needed Executive Actions to Address the Challenges of Artificial Intelligence

While various forms of artificial intelligence tools and applications have been in development for many years, it is the recent deployment of large language models (LLMs, also referred to here at "advanced AI"), such as OpenAI's ChatGPT, that has sparked both global interest and concern. Although advanced AI has recently captured public attention, other forms of AI—already in use in government and industry—also raise concerns due to their potential to inflict harm. The policy issues and recommendations below apply to currently available automated systems—with special consideration of LLM-based AI applications—and with an eye to other forms of advanced AI on the horizon.President Joe Biden should address the challenges and opportunities of AI with an immediate executive order to implement the Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights and establish other safeguards to ensure automated systems deliver on their promise to improve lives, expand opportunity, and spur discovery

Brain Drain in Mississippi

Brain drain is the out-migration of educated individuals from an area. It is a problem with which Mississippi is overly familiar. This thesis uses data gathered from a survey of 965 respondents to identify who is leaving the state and for what reasons. The data gathered suggest confirmation that brain drain is an issue for the state, with roughly two-thirds of respondents having left the state or seriously considering doing so. The impetus for this varies with each individual, but respondents underscore economic and societal factors within Mississippi as pushing them away from the state. Quality of life factors are discussed by fewer respondents as a reason for staying in Mississippi, particularly among the one-third of respondents who stayed in, never seriously considered leaving, or returned to the state. The three factors are further emphasized through solution-seeking interviews with knowledgeable Mississippi residents

ASSISTments Cross-Platform Mobile App

This Interactive Qualifying Project (IQP) delivers the ASSISTments web-based system to a mobile context through the creation of a cross-platform mobile application available for both Android and iOS devices. This improved mobile app serves as a replacement to the existing native ASSISTments apps that existed prior. This cross- platform mobile solution significantly consolidates the size of the app by providing a single code base that deploys to both Android and iOS. While written utilizing an intermediary framework, the app includes truly native app components in order to maintain user interface familiarity and deliver a seamless experience. Furthermore, this project structure unifies the mobile experience across different operating systems

Automation of Data Analysis in Formula 1

This paper explores economic solutions for Formula 1 racing companies who are interested in data visualization tools. The research was conducted on the current development of data gathering, data visualization, and data interpretation in Formula 1 racing. It was found that a large chunk of racing companies within the league needs an affordable, effective, and automated visualization tool for data interpretation. As data collection in Formula 1 arises, the need for faster and more powerful software increases. Racing companies profit off-brand exposure and the more a racing team wins, the more exposure they receive. The goal of the paper focuses on solving the issue of data visualization. It begins with the current state of Formula 1 and the background of the billion-dollar industry. Then, the criteria needed for an effective solution is discussed and is used to measure three different software solutions. The three solutions considered were Tableau, Power BI, and Python. Python earned the highest rating according to the criteria of process time, scalability, usability, customizable, and cost-effectiveness. As proof of concept, a demo was created using Python, specifically using the Python framework Dash, showing the simplicity and versatility of the software. Racing companies looking to save money should consider implementing Python into their data visualization to increase their odds of winning and rising in the rankings

Water Quality of Restored Wetlands: A Study of the Great Marsh Complex in the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore

Historic wetlands are increasingly being restored for multiple purposes, including improving water quality (WQ). The Great Marsh of the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore (IDNL) serves as an excellent example of a restored wetland that affects WQ. Fifteen different WQ parameters have been monitored at sites throughout the Great Marsh to assess how the restored wetland is functioning. Data collected thus far indicate WQ in the restored Great Marsh is typical of a northwest Indiana wetland and that the Great Marsh is functioning like a typical wetland in this region. For example, total phosphorus analyses indicate substantial phosphorus uptake by the wetland, E. coli levels generally decrease as water passes through the marsh, and the average conductivity in the wetland is 270 µS/cm. The restored Great Marsh also experiences seasonal changes typical of a wetland, such as fluctuating water temperatures, water levels, and dissolved oxygen levels

Development of BromoTag:A “Bump-&-Hole”-PROTAC system to induce potent, rapid, and selective degradation of tagged target proteins

[Image: see text] Small-molecule-induced protein depletion technologies, also called inducible degrons, allow degradation of genetically engineered target proteins within cells and animals. Here, we design and develop the BromoTag, a new inducible degron system comprising a Brd4 bromodomain L387A variant as a degron tag that allows direct recruitment by heterobifunctional bumped proteolysis targeting chimeras (PROTACs) to hijack the VHL E3 ligase. We describe extensive optimization and structure–activity relationships of our bump-and-hole–PROTACs using a CRISPR knock-in cell line expressing model target BromoTag-Brd2 at endogenous levels. Collectively, our cellular and mechanistic data qualifies bumped PROTAC AGB1 as a potent, fast, and selective degrader of BromoTagged proteins, with a favorable pharmacokinetic profile in mice. The BromoTag adds to the arsenal of chemical genetic degradation tools allowing us to manipulate protein levels to interrogate the biological function and therapeutic potential in cells and in vivo

Proteome changes in a human retinal pigment epithelial cell line during oxidative stress and following antioxidant treatment

Age related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common cause of blindness in the elderly. Oxidative stress contributes to retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) dysfunction and cell death thereby leading to AMD. Using improved RPE cell model systems, such as human telomerase transcriptase-overexpressing (hTERT) RPE cells (hTERT-RPE), pathophysiological changes in RPE during oxidative stress can be better understood. Using this model system, we identified changes in the expression of proteins involved in the cellular antioxidant responses after induction of oxidative stress. Some antioxidants such as vitamin E (tocopherols and tocotrienols) are powerful antioxidants that can reduce oxidative damage in cells. Alpha-tocopherol (α-Toc or αT) and gamma-tocopherol (γ-Toc or γT) are well-studied tocopherols, but signaling mechanisms underlying their respective cytoprotective properties may be distinct. Here, we determined what effect oxidative stress, induced by extracellularly applied tBHP in the presence and absence of αT and/or γT, has on the expression of antioxidant proteins and related signaling networks. Using proteomics approaches, we identified differential protein expression in cellular antioxidant response pathways during oxidative stress and after tocopherol treatment. We identified three groups of proteins based on biochemical function: glutathione metabolism/transfer, peroxidases and redox-sensitive proteins involved in cytoprotective signaling. We found that oxidative stress and tocopherol treatment resulted in unique changes in these three groups of antioxidant proteins indicate that αT and γT independently and by themselves can induce the expression of antioxidant proteins in RPE cells. These results provide novel rationales for potential therapeutic strategies to protect RPE cells from oxidative stress